Robert "Bob" J. Claborn

Robert Joseph Claborn “Bob”, 81, of Newburgh was born September 13, 1943, in Washington, Indiana to the late Robert Claborn and Eula (Osha) Miller. He put food on millions of Americans plates for nearly 40 years starting in the 1960s. If you didn’t pass a Claborn Trucking semi on the road, you may have seen him in commercials or magazines talking about the latest farming techniques. While his kind of success only comes from passion, farming wasn’t something he set out to do. Life threw him a curveball and in typical Bob fashion, he was there to help. That meant walking away from a stable job at Ford Motor Company in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1966 and moving to Yankeetown, Indiana to help his father-in-law, Marion Watson. Marion had a farm he could no longer handle and while Bob didn’t know the first thing about farming, he learned. Over the years, he provided jobs for hundreds of people and managed over 8,000 acres of land with cattle. In fact, it was a sight to see hundreds of cows come running at his call.

The only thing that rivaled his love for farming was his family. After graduating from Lynnville High School in 1962, he married Rita Owens in 1964, they had 3 children; Bobby, Tina & Joe. Bobby would become his protégé, working side-by-side with him for decades. Tina became his one and only daddy’s girl. The baby of the family, Joe, kept his dad busy with sports. Bob and Rita had the “cool house” where all the kids wanted to hang out. When they weren’t home, they were visiting grandparents or attending wrestling, basketball, soccer and track meets.

Bob took extreme pride in his grandkids and loved hanging out with them. Their grandpa loved fast cars; could be counted on to dress snazzy every day of the week; and never met an abandoned dog or cat he wasn’t willing to feed. He often donated groceries and clothes to those in need and bought countless bikes for kids at Christmas over the years.

Bob will be deeply missed and is survived by his children, Bobby Claborn, Tina (Derek) Hazelip and Joe (Brandie) Claborn. Bob was the proud grandfather to five grandchildren, BJ Claborn, Jenna (Zak) Bottoms & Jared Claborn and Jacob & Daniel Hazelip and three great grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings, Enid (Steve) Wallace, Sandra Waser, Charles (Carol) Claborn, Steve Claborn, Jim Claborn, John (Cheryl) Claborn and Oreatha (Sean) Murray, Rick (Joella) Miller and Kevin (Andi) Miller and several nieces and nephews. Bob was preceded in death by his father, Robert Claborn; mother and stepfather, Eula & Gene Miller and brother, Odell Claborn.

The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude for the loving care provided by the staff of Primrose Memory Care in Newburgh, Indiana. Also, a special thank you to Dr. Allaw and the staff of Deaconess Clinic and Gentiva Hospice.

A celebration of Bob’s life will be held at 6:00 p.m., Saturday, January 11, 2025 at Alexander Newburgh Chapel, 5333 State Road 261, officiated by Pastor Tommy Epperson. Family and friends may visit Saturday from 3:00 p.m. until service time at the funeral home. A livestream of the service will be available at www.facebook.com/FuneralStreamUSA.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Warrick Humane Society.